Calvary Vista

Good Grace Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh. Galatians 3:3 We are obsessed with performance. Schools are based on our intellectual performance. Sports are based on our athletic performance. In order to be popular, we have to perform by dressing a certain way, or talking a certain way, or reaching some standard of beauty. It is easy to carry this performance-driven mentality into our relationship with God.... That was the case for the Galatians. They understood that by grace they were saved, but they thought they had to perform to stay saved. The Galatians were under the impression that they had to prove themselves to God. Oftentimes we fall into the same trap. We think that we can impress God by showing off our good works. Paul says that this thinking is foolish! The truth is we cannot do anything good apart from God. In order to do anything that is good, we need God’s help! God is the one who saves us, and God is the one who sustains us in everyday life. In other words, we never graduate from His help. That is grace! Understand today that God's grace is enough to get us started, and God's grace is enough to keep us going. He will see us through! Lean into His grace today, and place your hope in Him!

We can’t wait for tonight’s gathering. There’s nothing better than refocusing our attention on Jesus in the middle of our week! Join us as Pastor Rob continues in the book of 1 Corinthians and Pastor Pete leads us in worship! See you tonight! 6:30pm #calvaryvista #simplyjesus

Ephesians 4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Paul introduces this idea that there is an ideal we are all to strive for or a high calling that we are to live up to. In Philippians, he called it, The high call of God in Christ Jesus. In Ephes...ians 1 he prays that we, May know what is the hope of His calling. In the context of Ephesians, Paul is exhorting us as individual believers to submit to the work of God in constructing a temple for Himself, that is the church. Our best and highest calling is to be a living stone in the hands of the Master Architect so that the church He is building brings glory to God and revelation to the world. There are a lot of things working against this construction project, mainly the deeds of our flesh. Paul outlines some of these in Galatians 5: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, etc. So how can we live up to our high calling? Ephesian 4 presents a simplified list of the attitudes that are the complete opposite of the works of our flesh. These attitudes are the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church: humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, and unity. May we humbly yield ourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit in us, and through us, to one another. May we live up to our high calling of God in Christ Jesus to be a church that is a shining beacon of hope to a world that is desperate for the hope that only God gives.

Well done Calvary Vista! This past Saturday our sanctuary filled up with precious servants who packaged over 600 boxes to send off with Operation Christmas Child, and since then, we have collected more donations and now have over 700 boxes! Let’s be in prayer for the precious kids who receive these gifts and that they would receive the greatest gift of all... salvation through Jesus!... #calvaryvista #simplyjesus See more

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." Galatians 4:4 It is a beautiful reminder that we are adopted by our Heavenly Father. God not only chose us at the moment of our salvation but He also continually chooses us. What a wonderful truth to understand that the Father is always for us and will never leave us nor forsake us as Hi...s children. God loves identifying Himself as our Father. Because the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been given to us by grace through faith, He is never ashamed of His children. Our many mistakes and sins will never overpower the love that He has for us. We can rest in the unconditional love and favor of God over our lives because the Heavenly Father is forever faithful. What is our reasonable response to such a powerful love? Obedience. Jesus says, If you love Me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15 Understanding God’s love for us will fuel our obedience to His Word and the Spirit’s leading. Are you struggling with your obedience to God today? Remember His love. His love changes everything. His love rescues us from the we-have-to-obey mindset and delivers us to the we-get-to-obey Him mindset. Children of God, love your Father well today through Spirit-empowered obedience. His grace will lead you every step of the way.